It just hit me that Boston is scheduled to play Cleveland tonight. I need to get back in the swing of things. More on this one later.

via jussihakanen.files.wordpress.com

I spent the better part of my summer trying to dunk. Ultimately I failed. Yet in the process I got in better shape and improved several aspects of my game. And pick up basketball was a big part of my regimen. I had a regular game going for a month or so that rarely made it beyond 3-on-3. And it was usually 2-on-2. It turns out that familiarity builds...familiarity. So I was excited when open gym kicked into gear again this week. I looked forward to playing full court and guarding someone else.

Unfortunately only 7 guys showed up and I had to settle for half court 3-on-3. Alas. Winner stayed and the losing team shot to vote someone off the island. Thankfully the tempo was good and my team held serve for 4 or 5 consecutive wins. On top of that, I had one of my best open court showings since moving to town. Then in the fifth game I took a shot to the face while fighting for a loose ball. It stunned me and I stepped wrong, spraining my ankle in the process. That was it for me. As I write this I'm making use of 3/4 of the RICE acronym, thinking about how to implement compression and how hard it must be to play in the NBA.

The first time I got up close to a live NBA game it was amazing how big, strong, and fast NBA players are. The court seemed too small. I can't imagine taking a forearm or elbow from someone like Kendrick Perkins and continuing to be effective. Just throwing that out there.

Years from now we'll look back fondly on how overwhelming it was to be a Boston sports fan during the first decade of the new millennium. And by "we" I mean Boston sports fans. Everyone else will remember how obnoxious we were while our teams dominated. And it's moments like this I'll recall. Currently I find myself inexplicably excited about a sloppy preseason game to the point that I temporarily forgot about a looming Red Sox/Rays grudge match. These teams hated each other when Tampa Bay was bad! And now the Rays are loaded with swagger, talent, and a division title. Granted the 2004 Red Sox, 2001 and 2003 Patriots, and 2008 Celtics won in such a way that I could never be truly disappointed again. Yet I'd still love to see Boston stomp on the Rays and put an end to their Cinderella story. Go Sox.

Links to check out:

Fellow SB Nation blog - Over the Monster.
Fellow SB Nation blog - DRaysBay.
SB Nation's all encompassing MLB postseason hub. That's the type of thing that, with a basketball twist, could be fun come next spring.

via www.sbnation.com

I never want to be one of those reactionary types. Still, here are some quick thoughts:

- Leon Powe gets buckets. We know this.

- Thaddeus Young is a player.

- The 76ers have the potential to run teams off the court some nights.

- Given Patrick O'Bryant's age, height, contract, and length, the Celtics have to feel pretty good about the gamble so far. He may have found the right organization to develop him.

- During Darius Miles first defense possession, when he forced the jump ball, he looked slow and rusty. Over time he looked better and I feel better about his conditioning. But he's clearly not where he needs to be yet. I see him playing in the NBA. I'm just not sure he's ready.

- It was good to see the Ray Allen come out of the gate shooting well.

- I enjoyed the SCAL-A-BRINE chants. I did not enjoy Scal's gunning.

- I'm feeling better about year 5 of the Tony Allen era. Also I'd forgotten that he's a good foul shooter - 5-5 on the evening, 75% for his career.

- Rajon Rondo flew up the court at points and in general looked good.

- It's easy to get caught up in the AND1 type of atmosphere that Bill Walker inspired tonight. Who doesn't like a half court ally oop and a dunk on Theo Ratliff? Check that, a monster dunk on Theo Ratliff. Granted the purist in me wasn't crazy about J.R. Giddens going out of his way to celebrate Walker's dunks. And yet Walker, Giddens, and Gabe Pruitt did get me thinking. Over the summer there was a fair amount of talk about Boston's veteran leadership mentoring the incoming youngsters and keeping certain new additions in line. However, there's a chance that the young guys will energize the older players. I expect Walker to make mistakes, Pruitt will have a hard time getting minutes, and Giddens is raw. Yet those guys looked hungry. Danny Ainge may have assembled a nice mix of established stars, young veterans, reclamation projects, and rookies.

- Glen Davis looked big. For some reason I had this image of Powe sending food Davis' way and then laughing as the former LSU Tiger scarfed it down.

- We may look back on it when it's all said and done and wonder why we spent so much time arguing about Eddie House's back up point guard abilities.

If we learned anything from the New England Patriots' most recent preseason, it's that the exhibition can in fact matter. Granted no one expected Tom Brady to get hurt. But tackling and blocking were cause for concern then. And those issues have carried over into the regular season. At the same time I have a hard time getting into Boston's preseason games, especially when Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett are expected to play light minutes. I'll definitely watch, though possibly not live. And I've already highlighted players of interest. I know Leon Powe will fight for minutes and I hope that Gabe Pruitt and company follow his lead. Otherwise, it's good to see basketball again and too early to draw massive conclusions.

via static.flickr.com

Philadelphia's Top Three Players to Watch

3. Elton Brand - By all accounts he should be the #1 guy on this list. However, we already know what to expect from him. If healthy Brand is about as reliable as they come. And ultimately, much like Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and KG last season, Brand will be judged for what his team does in the spring. Although his debut will make it even less weird that this guy is gone:

via www.allen-iverson.org

Catch the rest of the 76ers and the Celtics after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

On October 1st I posted my Boston Celtics preview. This was part of Jeff Clark's blogger initiative over at CelticsBlog. Since then bloggers have done the same for the other teams in the Atlantic Division. Check out their work below. And stay tuned for the Central, Southeast, Northwest, Pacific, and Southwest divisions over the next month or so.

Boston Celtics
Jeff Clark: CelticsBlog.com    
Jim Weeks: Green Bandwagon      
FLCeltsFan: LOY's Place
John Karalis: Red's Army
Dustin Chapman: Celtics 24/7

New Jersey Nets
Dennis Velasco: About Basketball

New York Knicks
Joey: Straight Bangin'
Seth Rosenthal: Posting and Toasting

Philadelphia 76ers
Dannie & Pete: Recliner GM
Jon Burkett: Passion and Pride

Toronto Raptors
Franchise: RaptorsHQ.com
Ryan McNeill: Hoops Addict
Cuzzy: Cuzoogle